Kansas City has so much to offer for first-time visitors and life-long residents alike! Known for its saucy barbecue, beautiful fountains and extravagant art, KC is the place to be this summer.
There is no better KC neighborhood to showcase local and national artists’ vibrant art pieces than the Kansas City Crossroads.
Below is your complete guide to the stops you should make at the next First Fridays in the KC Crossroads and the restaurants you should try while you’re there. Enjoy the diverse arts and culture, lively entertainment, and the best mouth-watering food the Crossroads KC has to offer.
What is First Fridays in the Kansas City Crossroads?
There is something special in the night air on the first Friday of every month in the Crossroads Art District. On just about every Crossroads KC street corner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., there is an art walk full of galleries, retailers, and other participating art venues on display for every art connoisseur or novice to view.
This FREE event is fast becoming a Kansas City favorite. Many art venues in the Crossroads neighborhood participate in First Fridays every month with doors wide open, such as:
With an abundance of indoor and outdoor entertainment, what better way to spend a night in the KC Crossroads than enjoying drinks and dining, followed by a stroll through KC’s cultural neighborhood to experience:
- Artist demonstrations
- Food trucks
- Live theater
- Sidewalk vendors
- Street music
- Traditional and avant-garde art exhibits
- And more.
Parking can get a little tight for an event like this. So, if you want to avoid the hassle, you can take the free KC Streetcar! The art stretches beyond the district. You can take a picture in front of the hundreds of murals scattered around the city.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go and Food You’ll Eat in Crossroads KC
Whether it’s the food and drinks you crave or the art you want to see, get down to the Kansas City Crossroads early Friday, so you don’t miss out on the events. Here are a few locations you should check out for First Fridays in the KC Crossroads:
The Galleria at Society
Society embodies everything that First Fridays stands for. With an art-gallery-turned-social-scene atmosphere, Society is the unofficial party hub of First Fridays with a commitment to spotlighting local artists.
If you want a true tour of Crossroads KC murals, start with the murals that local artists created in Society. Just outside the Galleria’s walls, there are colorful, vibrant murals all over the building. Society also offers First Friday specials, features DJs, and so much more.
Then just walk around the neighborhood and look up. Art is everywhere in the KC Crossroads.
First Friday Art Alleys
Before you dive headfirst into all the art galleries the Kansas City Crossroads boasts, you should check out the most authentic artistic experience in the neighborhood: Art Alley. It’s exactly what it sounds like — an ever-evolving alley covered in the Kansas City Crossroads-style graffiti.
During First Fridays between April and October, check out the local artists who set up along one of the beautiful Art Alleys between Baltimore and Wyandotte from 18th Street to Southwest Blvd. This event is FREE to all.
Hilliard Gallery
On display at Hilliard Gallery for this month’s First Fridays is Todd K. Fox’s Intuitive Recollection exhibition. Utilizing the art of Raku pottery, Todd describes his work as a biographical sharing that relates to moments of his life.
His sculptures are inspired by his study of African and Caribbean cultures.
As the Crossroads Arts District site describes it, “[Fox’s] style seems simple upon first observation, then eludes to yield a much more sophisticated archetype. Todd’s works are narrative, depicting ethereal entities and presenting allegorical inclusions. These interpretations express and share journeys of past and present and are universal stories of love, joy, hope, sorrow and discovery.”
Beggars Table Church & Gallery
Artist Joanna Marsh will have two series on display under the title, “Ethereal Play: Ambient Flora & Celestial Views.”
There is a total of 18 pieces across these two series consisting of colorful, deconstructed florals and ethereal “heavenscapes” paintings.
In her artist’s statement, she said, “I believe some truths are best embodied by a splash of color upon a canvas. Atmospheric florals and dreamy heavenscapes hint at the wonder I often feel but have no words to express. And when I have no space to dance, texture and color are my choreography.”
First Friday Food Truck Plaza
The Crossroads Arts District’s First Fridays bring back the fun from April to October with the designated Food Truck Plaza. You can stop by the lot between 19th and 20th streets at 1907 Grand Boulevard to try a variety of local and international cuisines as you continue your art explorations. There is so much more to explore and so many restaurants in Crossroads KC to try! Check out what else is happening during this month’s First Friday at the Kansas City Crossroads right here.